Folding bed.



PATBNTED JUNE 5, .1906]v A. W. WELCH.

FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29,1905.

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PATENTED JUNE 5 A. W. WELCH.

FOLDING BBD. APPLICATION 'FILED APR.29.1905.

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NTED STATES ALPHA W.

PATENT OFFICE.

FOLDING BEDIl Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

Application led April 29,1905. Serial Nox 258,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALPHA W. WELCH, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Albion7 in the county of Calhoun and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FoldingBeds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding bedsteads.

One object of the invention is to provide a folding bedstead of suchcharacter that the side rails may be readily detached from the head andfoot boards.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a foldingbedstead embodying such characteristics that when it is desired to foldthe bedstead the under faces of the side rails may be disposed iiushwith the inner face of the headboard, with the inner face of thefootboard resting against the up per faces of the side rails.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a folding bedsteadof such type that corresponding ends of the side rails may be connectedwith the headboard through a sliding and also a swinging connection,with the opposite ends of the side rails connected to the footboard in asimilar manner, whereby the side rails may have a sliding movement withrespect to the headboard and the head and foot boards have a swingingmovement with respect to the side rails.

It is still further designed to provide connections of such characterthat they may be readily associated with any ordinary type of unfoldablebedstead, whereby the latter may be converted readily into bedsteads ofa folding variety.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and' particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the present invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding bedsteadembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough the bedstead illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the bedstead in its folded position. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionalview through the bedstead in its folded position. Fig. 5 is a detailview of one of the hinge members for coupling the side rails to theheadboard, and Fig. 6 is a detail View of the hinge connection betweenthe side rails and the footboard.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, thereference character 1 designates a headboard having the usual side posts2 and 3, secured to the inner faces of which latter are guide-rails 4and 5, respectively, the said guide-rails having their extremities 6bent at an angle to the body portion thereof, whereby they may be driveninto the posts 2 and 3 with their body portion in spaced relation to theinner faces of the said posts.

The reference character 7 designates the footboard, having end posts Sand 9, to the inner faces of each of which latter is secured a leaf 10of a hinge, provided with a vertical perforation 11, there being anotherhingeleaf 12, provided with spaced ears 13 and 14, provided with aliningperforations for alinement with the aforesaid perforation of thefirst-named hinge-leaf, in which position the perforations of the twoleaf receive a pintle or the like 14. The leaves 12 of each of thesehinges is provided with a lateral projection upon its outer face, whichprojections include a head 15 and aneck portion 16.

Slidably mounted upon each of the guiderails 4 and 5 is a hinge member17, which in the present instance consists of a plate bent back uponitself and provided at one end with a vertical perforation 18, designedto embrace the corresponding guide-rail. How ever, in practice the saidhinge member 17 may be formed of a single piece of material. At any ratethe outer face of each hinge member 17 is provided with a projection,including a head 19 and a shank or neck portion 20, as

vclearly shown in the accompanying drawings.

The reference characters 21 and 22 designate side rails, one end of eachof which is provided with a curved groove 23, which groove is formedupon the inner faces of the rails. Secured, by means of rivets, screws,bolts, or other suitable elements 24 to the inner faces of each of therails 21 and 22, is a plate 25, provided with a curved slot 26,corresponding to the curvature of the aforesaid grooves 23 and which aredesigned to aline with the latter. It will be observed that the IOCslots 26 are of smaller' cross-sectional diameter than the groove 23.The heads 19 of the aforesaid projections of the hinged members 17 aredesigned for sliding engagement in the grooves 23 of the side rails, theneck portions 2() of the said projection working along the edges of theslot 26, the head 19 being of such cross-sectional diameter as to workwithin the aforesaid grooves, the slot 26 being narrower than the groove23, preventing accidental disengagement of the side rails from thehinged members 17, or vice versa.

Reference to the accompanying drawings will disclose that the groove 23and the slot 26 enter from the top of the rails and terminate short ofthe bottoms or the ends thereof. However, while a groove 27 is providedin the opposite end of each rail the same leads thereinto from thebottom thereof, with its substantially horizontal portion leading towardthe grooves in the opposite ends of the rails. The grooves 27 arecovered by metallic or other suitable plates 28, each having a slot 29for registration with the corresponding grooves, whereby the heads 15 ofthe first-named hinged connection may slide within the grooves in therear of the plates 28 to prevent accidental disengagement of thefootboard from the rails or the latter from the former, the said plate28 being secured to the inner faces of the rails over the last-namedgrooves through the instrumentality of suitable pins, screws, bolts, orthe like 29. It will be observed that the under face of each rail at itsupper end is curved, as indicated by the reference character 30, whilethe upper edges of the lower ends of the rails are curved, as indicatedby the reference character 31.

The inner face of each rail 21 and 22 is supplied with the usualSlat-supporting rest 32, having the usual notches 33 for the receptionof the slats 34.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, especially the latter, the bedsteadwhen it is in its usual position for use has the head 19 of the hingedmember 17 arranged at the eX- treme end of the slot 26, while the head15 of the hinged member 12 is arranged at the intersection of thestraight portion 27 of the slot with the curved portion 29 thereof.However, the weight of the bedstead itself by reason of the lower end ofthe rails contacting with the inner face of the footboards firmly holdthe rails and footboard in proper position. Of course when weight isbrought to bear upon the bedstead it is obvious that the connection ofthe headboard with the rails will be even more substantial.

From the foregoing the position of my improved bedstead for use will bereadily understood, and in order that the manner of folding the bed maybe fully appreciated I will state that by reason of the curved ends 30of the lower edges of the rails the latter can be readily turned in adownward position before or after the hinge members 17 have been slid tothe top of the guard-rails and the upper edges of the rails brought intoflush engagement with the inner face of the headboard, this operationpermitting the hinged members of the footboard to be slid in their slotsand the closed extremity of the curved portion of the latter, the hingeconnections through their construction and association with the saidslots permitting the head and foot boards to have a swinging as Vwell asa sliding movement.

In order to detach the side rails 21 and 22 from the headboard, onemeans may reside in first disengaging one or both of the said rails fromthe footboard and then swinging the lower or foot end of one or bothrails inward in a horizontal plane, so that the upper end of the railsmay be slid by the corresponding posts 2 and 3, thereby enabling theheaded projection of the corresponding hinge connection to be slippedout of the open end of the corresponding slot.

It will thus be seen that my invention consists of few parts and thatconsequently it is of a comparatively inexpensive nature and that theconnections are such that they may be readily applied to any form ofstationary bedstead now in use. As a matter of fact, the connections maybe applied to many of the folding devices of bedsteads on the market.

What is claimed is- I1. A bedstead comprising head and foot boards, the'headboard having guide-rails, side rails between the head and footboards, each side rail having a slot formed in each end, and a hingeconnection between the corresponding slots of the side rails and thefootboard and the corresponding slots and the aforesaid guide-rails.

2. A bedstead comprising head and foot boards, the headboard havingguide-rails, side rails between the head and foot boards, each side railhaving a slot at each end, and a hinge pivotally and slidably connectedwith each of the aforesaid guide-rails and each provided with a headedprojectionfor engagement in the corresponding slot of the correspondingside rail, and a hinge connection between the footboard and thecorresponding slot of the corresponding side rail.

3. A folding bedstead comprising a head and foot board, andhside railsdetachably connected to the head and foot boards, connections betweenthe rails and said boards permitting of a vertical and lateral swingingmovement of the rails with respect to the headboard. f

4. A bedstead comprising head and foot boards, the headboard havingguide-rails, side rails between the head and foot boards, and hingeconnections between the side rails and guide-rails of the headboard andthe side IOO seaeee rails and the iootboard whereby the rails may havevertical and lateral swinging movement with respect to the headboard andwhereby the rails may be swung vertically and moved in their verticalposition with their hinge connection upon the said guiderails.

5. A bedstead comprising head and foot boards, the headboard havingguide-rails connected thereto, side rails, the inner faces of the siderails at each end being provided with curved slots and connectionsbetween the side rails, the guide-rails and the footboard whereby asliding and swinging movement of the rails and the footboard ispermitted.

6. A bedstead including a headboard having guide-rails secured thereto,a footboard, side rails between the said boards, a connection betweenthe side rails and the guiderails of the headboard to permit of ashifting oi the side rails to present the under faces of the latter tothe inner face of the headboard.

7. A bedstead including a headboard having guide-rails secured thereto,a footboard, side rails between the said boards, a connection betweenthe side rails and the guide-l ALPHA W. WELCH.

Witnesses A. F. COOPER, F. W. PEABODY.

